Language Portfolio

The Language Biography is one very important part of a Language Portfolio. It includes a history and reports of the learner’s language and intercultural experiences, her or his language learning goals, and self-assessment checklists.

So the beginning of a Language Portfolio should be made with a Language Biography. Here is one example, used at the Department of German Studies at Cornell (not including the self-assessment checklist):

Language Biography

This only needs to be written once. However since learning a language is a long (eventually life long) experience, the biography can and should be updated regularly, which could be done through a Language Biography Update like the following one:

Language Biography Update

A Language Portfolio is a collection of material describing the proficiency in one (or more) foreign language(s). Since it is a collection of various material produced over a longer period of time (eventually also life time) the process and progress of the language acquisition becomes visible. In addition a Language Portfolio also includes learners’ reflections about their language learning, and their experiences with the foreign culture.

The material is usually divided in three categories:
1. Language Passport
2. Language Biography
3. Language Dossier

The Language Passport usually includes documentation of key credentials and experiences (e.g. certificates, test results, programs completed in not only one language but also other languages, etc.).

The Language Biography includes a history and reports of the learner’s language and intercultural experiences, her or his language learning goals, and self-assessment checklists.

The Language Dossier includes the material a learner produces in the target language (e.g. class assignments, project, etc.)

For more info: http://web.fu-berlin.de/elc/portfolio